Brown is the second Jets tackle down before the season even begins
The New York Jets have lost another key player for perhaps a significant period of time.
Left tackle Duane Brown, signed in the wake of Mekhi Becton‘s season-ending knee injury, will miss Sunday’s season opener vs. Baltimore with a shoulder injury.
Head coach Robert Saleh stated that Brown hurt his shoulder in practice on Monday and is a potential injured reserve candidate. Such a move would mean that Brown misses a minimum of four weeks.
Update: The Jets placed Brown on IR and elevated Grant Hermanns from the practice squad.
The news is a huge blow to an offensive line that was already razor-thin at tackle. The Jets will now move George Fant back to the left tackle spot and start rookie fourth-round pick Max Mitchell at right tackle. The team had hoped to keep Mitchell on the bench for Year 1, as he is a developmental prospect who could use some more weight in muscle to contend with the strength of NFL edge rushers.
Brown’s injury further spotlights the decision by general manager Joe Douglas not to acquire more tackle depth. Douglas had the opportunity to draft Ikem Ekwonu or Evan Neal with the No. 4 overall pick, but he chose to go with Sauce Gardner in the hope that Becton would be healthy. However, the real question is why the GM left the cupboard so bare after Becton’s injury. Whereas Brown had been a swing tackle option prior to the injury, having him start at tackle meant that the team was still down a swing tackle.
Now, the Jets are forced to start a raw rookie against a hungry defense, led by second-year rusher Odafe Oweh. Baltimore will be licking its chops to get after the quarterback, especially since said QB is the statuesque Joe Flacco.
A year that showed so much promise not too long ago is already taking some big blows in the injury department. In what was already a tough matchup for the Jets, the additional loss of Duane Brown may be too much to overcome.
